It's Easy to learn Botanical Latin: No Fears, No Tears.How many times have you wished you could use the scientific name rather than the common name when talking about a plant, but you didn't because you find the scientific names too confusing? Now you can learn the easy way in this Botanical Latin class. The common names for plants differ from language to language, and even from place to place within a speaking community. But a plant's Latin name is the same everywhere. First developed at a time when Latin was the universal language of science throughout Europe, the Latin "binomial name" (genus and species) is now used by scientists, gardeners, nursery personnel, amateur botanists, and plant lovers worldwide. If you have been mystified about how these names are created, or if you have been unsure about how to pronounce them, then this is the course for you. It will be an enjoyable, engaging and interactive class. You'll learn a little about how plant names evolved into the form they have today. We'll discover some easy "rules of thumb" for pronunciation. We'll look at some of the common Latin and Greek roots that are used not only in the binomial names, but also in the terminology we use to describe the various plant parts. We may even try our hand at creating a new name or two!

San Francisco Botanical Garden's beauty and value as a major cultural resource are the result
of a successful public/private partnership between San Francisco Botanical Garden Society
and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.